Never Lose Hope

She wishes she could escape, but feels like it is impossible.

Hope cannot even stay safe in her own college dorm room. While she is desperately trying to free herself of an abusive relationship, she encounters her assailant on every corner. Her traumatic past becomes uncovered as she experiences a vicious cycle of abuse, giving her clues on how to fight for her life. Hope meets others along her journey who have been silenced in different ways. Refusing to stay quiet, she embarks on a cross-country adventure to not only change her present, but also to discover her past which will affect her future. A story of love, loss, immigration, and identity, Hope must use the help of new and old friends to determine if she will survive.

Despite being sexually assaulted at age fifteen, college freshman Destinee DelBonis turned her story into her stance, becoming a recognized advocate for survivors just like herself. She has worked with dozens of organizations across the state of Rhode Island to combat the stigma that surrounds domestic violence and to educate youth on healthy relationships. Her debut fiction novel, Never Lose Hope, was written in hopes to let survivors know that they are not alone. Destinee seeks to earn her doctorate in veterinary medicine one day, specializing in canine cardiology, while continuing to support those who have been assaulted or abused.